Stevie Van Zandt must consider the route people are taking to his music. His debut album, Men Without Women, released a few short years after his place in The E Street Band and alongside Bruce Springsteen, was assured. It is only natural for members of a band to break off and provide their flavour, no matter how slight a change it is to the original group. Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul are a route from Springsteen. Few are listening to Men Without Women as their first encounter with Van Zandt as a guitarist, but this is a solid place to start when wanting a closer look at his lyrical qualities. He had made a living writing lyrics for others before, and when writing for himself, when performing too, he sounds assured of his qualities.
For those expecting a continuation of the sound Springsteen and the Van Zandt-featuring band had, that is exactly what Men Without Women is. Not a knock at the leader of the Disciples of Soul, he slips into the frontman slot well enough. His heartland rock style is earnest. It follows the same route as his band leader on other releases, and though it may be tonally the same, lyrically is where Van Zandt can stand out. Lyin’ in a Bed of Fire is a sweet adaptation of roaring passions, big band appeal and roaring guitar work. Solid rock filler with a heart of gold. Men Without Women has a familiarity, a similarity, which works in the favour of Van Zandt. He has plenty of decent moments, the locked doors and thrilling contrast of love on Inside of Me is a marvellous early high, while the consistent, upbeat thrill is a charming draw. It is what Van Zandt turns to often, the euphoric howls and spirited brass playing.
Men Without Women is not mired by some messy split from Springsteen, The Boss provides some recognisable backing vocals on Until the Good Is Gone. There was never much a chance of separating Van Zandt and Springsteen on Men Without Women, but there never appears to be a need to. Neither musician is keen to work without the other, and that endearing camaraderie carries the better moments of Men Without Women. There are some differences between the Van Zandt debut and what would become the Born in the U.S.A. material he was working on at the time. Under the Gun and Save Me are fiery opportunities for Van Zandt to express himself, and he does this successfully. Men Without Women is a smart, sharp album which does not receive enough credit.
Take a song like Little Princess of Italy, or the title track, the vaguely sexist, kneejerk reaction to their titles is subdued well by Van Zant. These are not songs of empowerment or the male gaze but of remembering your roots. Sex, gender, none of that matters, it is the conviction and space you find yourself when relating to or retaliating against the guided tones. Van Zandt has a brilliant ear in the studio not just for the heartland rock which Men and Women finds itself closely tied to, but the uplifting and often spirited performance carries the project well. So what if it is a pale imitation, Van Zandt is the man behind many of those riffs and fret wonders. He has a right to adapt it to his own works, and does a convincing job throughout Men Without Women.
